Who's First?
by Night Howls
Summary: Jacqueline has just moved to Mystic Falls. Elena no longer lives here. Jacqueline doesn't know the town's secrets and they don't know hers. But she has noticed something different about the people here. Whose secrets will be revealed first?


A pearl white Buick enclave pulled up in front of a house. The house was painted a faint shade of blue, with one door in the front and small modern windows. Out in the yard stood a white sold sign. This was to be her new home, her new town and her new place to end high school. The door of the car swung open and out stepped a young girl. A gust of wind picked up her golden blonde hair and whipped it from her shoulders into the air, before falling lifelessly once more around her bare shoulders. She wore a black low-cut halter top, matched with a pair of dark denim short-shorts. _So this is to be my new home…_ she thought quietly observing the white trim around the windows.

Screeching of a moving truck interrupted her thoughts, forcing the girl to turn and look at it. _If anything is broken, I swear..._ Her eyes squinted in a glare as she watched the movers step out and move to pull out furniture. _Might as well head in._

Black stilettos clacked on the concrete driveway as the girl made her way up towards the front door. Royal purple nails reached for the golden door knob. She hesitated for a moment wishing that this wasn't really happening. _I wanted to stay home where all my friends were. Worst part is it's the middle of the school year._ Sighing gently she turned the knob and gave the door a push. As the door swung open it gave a loud creak that split the silence within. The sound echoed off of the floors and walls. To her it sounded like an abyss. Some place that she didn't want to be. Leaning forward, she looked inside at the polished wood floors. _Well that is a comforting reminder of home._ Lifting her foot, she stepped within the house and began to examine the very fiber of it. _There has to be something wrong with it. Something that will make my father turn tail and leave._

Running her fingers along the walls, she felt the smooth paint. It was spread perfectly on top of the material. Her eyes looked up to the ceiling. No cracks. No wear and tear. It appeared to be brand new, but she knew that wasn't the case. Her fingers landed on the window, forcing her to pull her attention from the paint. Turning her whole body towards it, she opened the window slightly. No sound emitted as the glass slid gently into position, allowing fresh air to waft inside. Turning she saw a quaint little fireplace, outlined in gray stone. Walking over she leaned down to check the fireplace. Everything was in order. She gave a slight huff as she spun on her heel and began to find a new room to analyze.

Walking through a large cut in the wall, she found what appeared to be the dining room. A sliding glass door stood at the back, opening onto a deck and a backyard. _Looks like this will be great for parties._ An ancient chandelier hung from the ceiling over where the table would go. She longed to reach out and touch the chandelier, but it was too high. Looking closer she noticed that it had been re-modified with electricity that didn't use to be there. _Well you can tell how old this place is now._ There were fake candles in little sockets, where she assumed real candles used to go. Something drew her into that chandelier, but finally she was able to pull away and continue beyond the bar into the kitchen.

The counter top, enlaced with a sparkle in the marble, came up to just above her hips. _It's gorgeous,_ she had to admit. Her fingers ran along the cold, smooth marble as she walked to the sink. A double window sat behind the sink, looking into the backyard. Her eyes cast across the grass and beyond the pool, to the large expanse of woods standing behind it. A smile curved her lips, before she turned away and headed back to the staircase to check out upstairs.

Again more wood covered the staircase and the hallway, but the bedrooms had carpet. Pushing open one of the doors, it made no sound. Stepping in she saw a large bay window lying to the east where the sun rose every morning. On the opposite wall stood another door. Walking forward she pushed it open to find a bathroom. The sink sat like a bowl on top of the counter, made entirely of glass and in the shape of a seashell. The countertop was an aquamarine color while the floor was a pale white. The shower had a sliding door that looked like a mirror. Pushing it open, she saw that it was one-way glass. _That's kind of cool…_ she thought as she stepped back and closed the door.

Turning back around she began back into the hallway when suddenly a burly voice called out, "get out of the way!"

Jumping back out of the way, she watched as the moving men pulled her bed into the room and placed it on the ground. _At least I have my own bed,_ she thought to herself before walking back into the hallway. Standing at the railing, she could see down the staircase and into the front room. Another group of men were bringing her dresser up and placed it in the same room. _Good, I get the nice room._ She thought before stepping back inside and going over to the bay window. Sitting down and opening the window, she peered outside to find a trellis right underneath her window, with which she could use to escape at night. _Perfect._

"What do you think?" A voice asked cheerily.

Turning her head around, she saw her father. "It's okay," she replied before turning away once more.

Her dad sighed and left the room. "I don't know what more to do," he said.

"It's okay, she is just a teenager. There isn't a lot you can do." A female voice replied.

_If he wants to make this better he can dump the tramp._ She thought as she listened to their footsteps fade down the hall.

As she sat on the bench, the rest of her furniture was brought in and the moving truck left. Finally getting up, she began to pull the tape and wrapping off of her furniture and throw it into the hall. _This is going to take me a while._ She thought as she began to put her bed together, piece by piece. The metal frame wasn't too hard to put together, but the box spring and the mattress were going to be heavy. Turning she looked at the two propped up against the wall. _I'll have to do it eventually._ But she continued to stare at it.

Finally after a little while, she reached forward and pulled the mattress onto the floor, because she needed to put the box spring on first. Walking to the end, she gave it a push, only for it to fall over. "Great," she huffed, picking it back up and pushing it into place. This time she purposely pushed it over onto the metal frame. It fell with a clang that reverberated throughout the house. She heaved the rest of the box spring up onto the frame, before moving to the mattress and doing the same.

"Is everything alright in here?" A woman's voice asked from the doorway. "Do you need any help?"

"Everything is fine." She replied as she moved to her dresser and began to rip the wrapping off of that as well. Stepping back she began to decide where to put her dresser.

"You know, I'm here if you need anyone to talk to." The woman said abruptly.

The young girl refused to respond as she determined the layout of her new bedroom.

The woman nodded before turning away and heading downstairs.

Looking at the now empty doorway, a scowl formed on her face. _Don't ever try to be my mother. My mother left me and I have no desire for a new one._ She thought before pushing her dresser against the wall next to her bathroom door.

Lastly was her desk, which she put together against the south wall between her walk-in closet and hallway door. Now that the furniture was set up, she decided it was time to put her clothes away. Pulling out her laptop she played one of her favorite music playlists, filled with hip-hop and techno music. Each piece of clothing got it's own hanger and was sorted into categories. As she put up her last few pieces of clothing her father called up the stairs for dinner.

Taking the empty box, she placed it out into the hallway along with the rest of wrappings from earlier. _He can clean that up._ She thought as she walked down the stairs. Turning left from the stairs, she walked through the family room, which still contained the packaged furniture and into the dining room, where the tables and chairs were set up.

"I hope you like roast," her dad's girlfriend said with a soft smile.

Saying nothing she sat down at the table where a placemat and silverware had been placed.

Her father and his girlfriend sat down at opposite ends of the table and began to serve themselves food.

She took food silently and began to chew, keeping her fork in her left hand with her knife in her right. No one said anything for the longest time, until her dad finally spoke.

"I have a present for you, Jacqueline. Seeing as you will be going to school farther away than you used to…" he paused casting a glance at his girlfriend. "We have decided to get you a car. It was dropped off this afternoon and is sitting in the driveway for you."

Jacqueline looked up from her plate to catch her father's eye. "Really?" She asked, passing a glance with her father's girlfriend as well.

"Yes, Jenny picked it out for you." He responded, motioning permission for her to leave the table.

Jacqueline got up and walked to the front door. It opened with the same creak as earlier, allowing her to pass through and step out onto the front porch.

Sitting in the driveway was a 2010 forest green mustang, with black racing stripes. Jacqueline's eyes shot wide as she ran up to the car and looked inside. Complete with black leather interior and a wolf head painted on the steering wheel. _You have got to be kidding me!_ She ran back inside and slid to a stop in front of the kitchen table. "Thank you! How did you afford it?"

"We have been saving up for something like this. This move didn't happen out of the blue." Her father replied. "Isn't there someone else you want to thank?" With a tip of his head, Jacqueline knew that he meant Jenny. As much as she despised the woman, she had to give her props on the car.

"Thank you Jenny," Jacqueline mustered before turning to run back out the door.

"Jacqueline you need to finish your dinner and get ready for school. You can take it out for a spin after school."

"Dad, that's not even fair!"

"Well had I told you in the morning, you wouldn't go to school." He replied forcefully.

Jacqueline sat down once more at the table and finished her dinner. Taking her plate over to the sink, she set it down on the counter. "May I please be excused?"

"Yes you may, but lights out at 11." Her father ordered.

Jacqueline huffed before returning to her bedroom and checking her e-mail. There were three messages from her friends. A smile crossed her lips as she read them, each one saying how much they missed her and if she wanted to run away she was welcome back home. "Oh, you guys!" She whispered when suddenly a video chat request appeared on her screen. Turning on the light, she answered to find her three friends on the other side.

"HEY JACQUELINE!" They called in unison as they saw their friend appear.

"Hey! I miss you all so much! The drive was torturous! All I want is to be back home with you guys!"

"We miss you too Jacqueline," Rina replied.

"Don't worry, someday we will come and kidnap you so that you can come party with us again." Kimmy added.

"I hope so! From the looks of it, this town is pretty drab. I doubt anything interesting happens here." Jacqueline sighed.

"Hey, cheer up kiddy! We know that there may not be any great woods parties up there, but maybe you can still find a couple of non-losers to hang out with." Sasha joked.

"I'll give it a shot. Likely I will be seeing you in a few days!"

"That's all we ask, babe," another voice piped in.

"Who is with you?" Jacqueline asked raising an eyebrow.

"That's just Zeke," Kimmy replied as she threw a pillow at him.

"I'm sorry, but I want to head up to the party!" Zeke replied as he pushed the pillow off of himself.

Rina looked at the webcam. "Sorry baby girl, but we were just planning on heading out."

"It's alright…" Jacqueline replied with a sigh. "You guys go have fun, I have school in the morning anyway."

"Ha, have fun with that one!" Sasha laughed before all three waved and the conversation ended.

"Was that your usual gaggle of friends?" Jenny's voice came drifting through the door.

"Yes."

"Try to cheer up. Tomorrow you will go to your new school and I am sure that you will make plenty of new friends." Jenny said trying to cheer Jacqueline up.

"I don't want new friends. I like my old friends, my old town, my old house, my old parties. I like the way things used to be," Jacqueline said shooting Jenny a glare.

Jenny nodded before disappearing down the hall.

"Jacqueline it's 10:50. You better be getting ready for bed." Her father called from down the hall.

"Yeah, pops!" Jacqueline called back in annoyance. Turning off her laptop, she went into the bathroom to wash her face and change into some pjs. When she came back into her room, her thick velvet curtains had been drawn across the window so that it was now pitch black in the room. Turning she saw her door was closed and the hall light was off. Sighing she walked over to her bed and laid down, looking up at the blank ceiling. _I will have to remember to put my stars up tomorrow._ She noted, not able to see anything glowing above her. Closing her eyes, she drifted into a light sleep.

_"Come on!" She called back to him. Her hand tightly holding his and she dragged him towards the music playing in the distance._

_"Babe, we're not going to be late." He said as he gave her a slight tug, which forced her to stop. "Let's just take a break." Stepping up to her, he placed his other hand on her hip, pulling her close._

_"Not here," she giggled, pushing his hand away. "You know that I don't have time for that tonight." She whispered._

_"Oh come on, you know you want to." His hand moved to the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss._

_Giving him a slight push, she smiled coyly. "Stop," she warned._

_"Stop teasing me is more like it." He replied._

_"I'm serious. Now, come on, let's go. Kimmy and Zeke are waiting for us," she said dragging him along once more._

_As they neared the party, the beat became louder and louder._

Jacqueline's eyes shot open as she realized the beat was really her alarm clock going off. Rolling over, her hand slammed down on the snooze button and she checked what time it was. 6:00 blinked at her through the darkness. _Great…_ she thought to herself as she rolled back over.

"Jacqueline, get out of bed!" Her father shouted from downstairs. "You are not going to be late today!"

With a groan she pushed herself out of bed, dragging her sheets onto the floor as she walked away. Before heading to the bathroom she opened her blinds to let in the morning sunshine. Splashing her face with water, she took a sharp breath at the icy cold. _Well, at least I am awake._ Finding her mascara in the drawer she had put it in, she continued to apply it as she always did. Walking into her closet she found a pair of black short shorts and a diamond studded belt to match. For a top she picked out a one-shouldered gray blouse that pulled in around the rib cage. A fleur de lis was positioned at the bottom edge. Picking out a pair of silver hoops and small diamond earings for her ears, she checked them in her mirror which hung next to her dresser. Finally she grabbed her black stilettos and headed downstairs with her backpack, which she dropped at the bottom of the stairs.

"Now you know Jacqueline that laptops are not allowed in public school." Her father informed her.

"Wait, what?" Jacqueline exclaimed. "That is absurd. What am I suppose to use to type a paper?"

"Apparently there are school computers and you can e-mail things to yourself."

Clenching her teeth, Jacqueline suppressed a reply, before looking in the cupboard for some cereal and a bowl. After adding milk to her breakfast she sat down at the bar and ate her breakfast while reading the newspaper. _Great town…_ She decided after reading an article about an animal attack in the woods. _Animal attacks were unheard of in our old town._

"By the way," her father said rummaging through his pocket. "Here are the keys to your new car. Be careful."

Jacqueline's face shifted suddenly into a smile and she looked at her dad saying, "always am." Putting her bowl next to the sink, she began towards the door.

"Can't you put your dishes in the dishwasher for once?"

"Yeah, dad!" She called rather oblivious as she picked up her backpack and slammed the creaking door behind her.

Opening the green door, she threw her bag in the passenger seat and turned over the engine. It rumbled loudly as she gave it some gas and slipped out the driveway. Once out of sight of her house, she accelerated far past the speed limit into town. _What was my dad thinking when he bought me this car? _ She wondered shaking her head. _Heck, I might just leave right now and head home._ She thought, but something caught her attention as she stopped at a stoplight.

A guy in the car next to her turned to look at her. He lowered his sunglasses to reveal black eyes that sent a shiver down her spine. Pulling his sunglasses back up, he covered his eyes and drove ahead.

Although stunned, she followed him the rest of the way to school. Getting out, she saw he had parked near a group of kids. _Must be the popular kids,_ she thought remembering her days as a popular kid back home. Closing her car door, she started towards the school.

"She looks like such trash," she heard one of the girls say.

"She looks easy to me," one of the guys replied.

"Well, why don't we give her a school welcome." Another girl suggested.

Before Jacqueline could make it to the building, the kids had surrounded her.

"Hey, so you must be the new kid." One of the girls asked.

Jacqueline didn't say anything as she kept her gaze lowered.

"You know, for someone who dresses like a slut, you don't have much to say." One of the girls from before said.

"Maybe she is just too innocent to speak. Look at her hair, so fine and perfect. I think she is probably still a virgin too."

"With an ass like that, I don't think so." One of the guys piped up.

"Shut up Blake," one of the girls hit him in the stomach.

A smile curled Jacqueline's lips as she heard this.

"She's no fun to play with!" One of the girl's whined.

"You just have to find the right button to push." Another replied.

As Jacqueline listened she got the same feeling from each of them. Their voices dripped off their lips like honey. _There is something strange about them._

"Aww look at the poor little confused girl, all new to town with no one to turn to."

"So sad and lost is she."

"Look, you don't have to be jealous of me that much. I realize that my hair is far healthier and shinier than yours will ever be with those split ends and that you wish you had my legs, but there is no reason to get nasty about it." Jacqueline finally said before pushing through the dumb-struck group.

Blake began to laugh at the girl's awe-struck faces. "She just burned you big time."

Jacqueline continued into school as the bell rang and found her first class room. _First period Biology…_ _what a waste of my time._

"Everyone, we have a new student in our class today," the teacher began.

Jacqueline rolled her eyes. _Great, bring attention to the new kid. As if it weren't already obvious_.

"Jacqueline, would you like to say something about yourself?"

"No, not really." She replied.

The teacher paused, expecting her to change her mind, but when she didn't, he continued on with class. As her teacher lectured and a majority of the kids took notes, she doodled on her notebook. The bell rang and throwing her notebook into her bag she began her way out of the classroom.

"Jacqueline," the teacher's voice rang through the empty room.

"Yeah?" She asked stopping and turning around.

"I would appreciate that if tomorrow you would actually pay attention and try to pass my class."

"Uh-huh," she replied before quickly evading a speech. _Yeah, too bad I took Biology last year at my old school._ Next class was History, which was as much a thriller as first period, but still pretty amazing.

"Hey, are you Jacqueline?" A voice whispered next to her.

"Yeah, who's asking?" She replied, not looking up from her desk.

"My name is Emma, but everyone calls me Emmy. I heard what happened this morning in the courtyard."

"Oh, you did, did you?" Jacqueline inquired with fake enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I heard that Deliah made you cry. She can be real harsh sometimes."

"Uh… Emmy, sorry to break it to you, but I don't cry. Whoever told you that, is lying. If anyone was crying, it was probably Deliah."

"Oh…" Emmy replied in disbelief. "It's okay. Deliah has made most of the school cry by now."

"Emmy… I didn't cry and you shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"Exactly, so why should I believe you." Emmy answered.

"Ugh… nevermind." Jacqueline replied, dropping her head to her desk in annoyance. _At this rate, I'll be lucky if I last a day in this hell hole._ The bell rang and before Emmy could get out of her seat, Jacqueline was out the door headed to her next class. Unfortunately Jacqueline didn't make it to her third period, before being stopped in the hallway by a 6' 4" guy.

"I heard you were pickin' on my girl Deliah here. I think you owe her an apology."

"I think she owes you an apology for making you date her." Jacqueline replied.

"What did you say?" He asked, his anger boiling.

"Do you mind? I need to get to class." Jacqueline said gesturing past him.

"Well you won't be making it there today." He said, reaching forward to grab Jacqueline by the arm.

Jacqueline saw it coming and pulled backwards. "That's a shame, I was really looking forward to going to Chemistry." She said with a loud sigh. She began to step forward, when suddenly he had a hand on her shoulder and held her there firmly.

"Drake! What are you doing?" A woman's voice called out as she walked up. "Don't make me give you a detention."

"Of course not Ms. Summers, we were just showing the new kid how to get to her class." He replied, stepping aside and giving Jacqueline a gentle push in the right direction. "Now, it's right down the next hallway on your left."

"Oh, thanks." Jacqueline said with mock innocence before disappearing into her next class. _Well, maybe I will make it._ Taking a seat she looked out the window in boredom. _Chemistry… I hope this is better than Biology was._

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little miss high and mighty," a girl's voice rang out from behind Jacqueline.

_Fantastic…_ she thought as she looked back down at her desk.

"What? Nothing to say now?" The girl joked with her friends. "Cat got your tongue?"

A low growl emitted from Jacqueline's throat. "Why don't you just leave me the hell alone?"

"Because we need entertainment and you are the best kind." The girl replied.

"Hey you kids! Class is starting. Now sit down!" A man's voice rang across the classroom.

With that Deliah got up and left the room to go to her own class.

"Today we will be learning about atoms and the bonding principles." The teacher continued.

As much as Jacqueline didn't want to pay attention, she wrote down a few of the things that her teacher scribbled across the board.

"Okay, I want everyone to read and take notes on Chapter 1. Test is Friday!" He called out over the ring of the bell.

There was a grumble of annoyance throughout the kids as they filed out, unfortunately Jacqueline was being followed out.

"Look who is the little book worm," Deliah said, coming up to join her friends.

"Yeah, she actually took notes." The girl from Chem informed.

"Well, at least I have a mind of my own and don't have to follow around a girl for approval." Jacqueline said heading off to lunch. She wasn't really hungry for anything as she sat down at an empty table. _Great, just what I wanted. A chance to sit by myself… as always._ Pulling out her phone, she began to text her friends back home. _I miss you guys so much. School here sucks! Wish I could come party with you all!_

"Parties? You. Party?" A male voice asked.

"Yeah, I do." Jacqueline responded.

"That's cool," the guy said sitting down next to her. "Name's Tran. Don't ask me why, my parents were having a weird phase." He said with a smile.

Jacqueline didn't respond. _Did he come over here just to tell me that?_ She wondered.

"So… you're name is?"

Hesitating, she pondered the consequences of telling him. "Jacqueline," she finally muttered.

"That's a pretty name, now why on earth wouldn't you want to tell me that." He whispered as he leaned close to the table. "With such a pretty name, there should be a pretty face. Won't you show me?"

"It's not that amazing…" Jacqueline replied, but she couldn't suppress the feeling she was having. It reminded her of her boyfriend back home. Even though she was moving, he refused to break up with her. _I'll just come and visit you._ He insisted time and time again.

"…please." He said.

"I'm sorry what did you say?"

"Please, show me your face." He asked again.

Jacqueline was about reply no, when he reached forward and cupping her chin, lifted her face to the light.

"See, look at that. I was right."

"Right about what?" She asked, her gaze still lowered.

"You are beautiful."

"Yeah, my boyfriend would agree." With that she pulled from his grip.

"Well your boyfriend is a lucky guy," he replied with a smile. "Still hiding though I see. What color are your eyes?"

"Why do you care?" She finally asked.

"You're new. You look like you need a friend."

Jacqueline thought about that for a moment, before slowly lifting her gaze to match his. What she saw didn't surprise her. His face had become awe-struck. "Yeah, I know." She said dropping her gaze once more.

"Don't look down. They're gorgeous."

"Like I said… I know. It's easier for people not to know what my eyes look like." She whispered.

"Why?"

"I don't like people knowing me just as my looks. Oh, she has a hot-body. Oh, she has pretty hair, pretty eyes. I don't like hearing it."

"You don't like people telling you that you're pretty."

"I don't like people repeating it to me every single day of my life." She paused for a moment. "Especially when they tell me that I look like my mother did."

"I'm sorry. Is your mother… gone?" Tran inquired.

"Not dead. Well at least I don't think so. She left when I was younger. I have no idea what she looked like, or anything. Ugh… great. I'm spilling my guts to a total stranger." Jacqueline said dropping her head onto the table.

"I'm not a total stranger. You know my name," Tran replied, pushing her shoulder so that her face rolled to see him.

Jacqueline smiled softly, before picking her head up. "So… are you one of them?" She asked nodding to the large group of kids hanging around Deliah.

"Yeah, I am." Tran replied looking over at them.

"Wow, my day just gets better and better," she muttered.

"Actually… Deliah is my sister." He replied watching her with her gaggle of friends. "She may not seem nice, but she usually is okay. Once she gets to know you, she'll be fine."

"I think there is something more to her than she is letting on." Jacqueline said looking over at Deliah. This was the first time she had looked up at her to see what she actually looked like.

Deliah had shoulder-length black hair that was perfectly straight and ice blue eyes.

"You two look a lot a like," Jacqueline said turning back to look at Tran.

Tran too had black hair, which was wavy and shaggy. His eyes were blue, but darker.

"Yeah, we're twins."

"Oh," Jacqueline started. "That would make sense."

"Hey, what are you doing after school today?" Tran finally asked.

"Nothing, besides taking my new car out for a spin."

"Wait, are you the one that drives the green mustang?"

"Yeah, my dad just bought it for me." She replied with a smile. "My dad's girlfriend picked it out, probably in hopes of trying to get on my good side. Too bad it won't work." Jacqueline said.

"Why don't you like her?"

"She's a tramp. My dad met her in a strip club, while my parents were still together. She may not be the reason my parents broke up, but she sure is what I am going to blame it on."

"That sucks," Tran said after a while.

"Oh well. It's life. Life isn't perfect," Jacqueline said this often, whether she really knew what it meant or not. "Why were you asking what I was doing after school?"

"A few of us are getting together and hanging out at the Mystic Grill."

"Mystic Grill?" Jacqueline asked raising an eyebrow.

"You're in Mystic Falls now. Everything is special like that." Tran replied.

"Alright, I'll think about it."

"Good. I'll meet you by your car after school." He said getting up and heading over to his sister and her group.

_He is so cute, but I can't. I am still dating someone._ After reminding herself, she got up and walked out of the lunch room.

"What's next?" She asked herself aloud as she pulled out her schedule. _Italian_. Placing her schedule back in her pocket, she headed down the language hallway.

Thankfully none of Deliah's group had the same class this hour. Italian was the only class that Jacqueline actually wanted to take. From what she remembered, her mother spoke it. It was a large part of Jacqueline's heritage according to her father. Jacqueline hoped to one day go to Italy and find her relatives there.

Once class was over, she only had one class left that day. Math. Walking in, she saw that there were already notes up on the board. The bell rang just as Jacqueline was taking her seat and the teacher wasted no time. "I do not waste time in this class. I do things differently," she started. "These are your notes for today. You will spend the rest of the hour copying them done. When you are finished, you may start on your homework, which will be due tomorrow. Begin."

Jacqueline looked up at the board and then over at the teacher, who was now sitting in her desk. _Way to not teach, _she thought with a roll of her eyes. Nonetheless she copied down the notes for derivatives. _Why did I have to be good at math? _she wondered. Having finished the notes half way through class, she started on her homework. She was able to finish before the bell rang and she left the room.

A bright smile crossed her face as she realized that school was over and she could now go drive her car. Although she had forgotten entirely about meeting Tran, so when she saw someone leaning against her car she picked up her pace. "What are you doing leaning against my car?" She asked.

"Uh, we were going to hang out, remember?"

Jacqueline sighed with a no. "Yeah, I remember."

"What, you don't want to come?" Tran asked pushing off her car and standing in front of her.

"Well, I just wanted to find some place to take my car for a spin." With that she gestured to the green car. Just then she got a text from her friends, saying to get online for a talk.

"We can do that too. Come on, I'll show you a good place to go."

Jacqueline looked between her phone and Tran. "I have a change of plans." She finally said with a shrug. "Sorry." She stepped onto the other side of her car.

"Alright, maybe another time." Tran suggested.

"Maybe," she said with a shrug.

As she was getting into her car Tran added, "by the way, you're eyes match your car."

She didn't respond as she closed her door and turned the car on. Leaving the parking lot, she looked in her mirror to see Tran watching her as he walked over to his sister. Immediately she slipped her bluetooth up to her ear and dialed her boyfriend.

"Hello?" A voice answered.

"Baby!" She called to him.

"Jacqueline?"

"Who else!"

"Hey, how's it goin? I see school didn't kill you. Why did you call?" He asked.

"I just wanted to here the sound of your voice Jason."

"That's a funny reason to call," he said with a small chuckle.

"Hey, don't you laugh at me," she responded with a smile on her face.

"Alright baby," he responded. "Man, I wish you had been here last night. The party wasn't the same with out you."

"I wish I was there too. How is everyone doing?"

"They're doing great. It's weird not having you at school with us. Everything is so different now."

"How so?" Jacqueline asked confused.

"There have been some... issues." He responded.

Jacqueline closed her eyes for a moment as she pulled up to a stop light. "Is everything going to be okay? Do I need to come home?"

"Nah, nah! 'Course not. You know I got things covered here."

Jacqueline smiled once again. "I know you do. You always do. Look, I gotta go. Talk to you later."

"Love you babe!" Jason told her.

"Love you too," she replied for getting off her phone and driving the rest of the way home.

Parking the car and locking it, she walked into the house. "You're home early," Jenny called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, got stuff to do." Jacqueline replied vaguely before disappearing into her room. Turning on her laptop, she saw that her friends were already on and waiting for her.

"Hey guys!" She said with a smile as the chat window popped up.

"Hey Jacqueline!" Sasha responded.

"Where are Kimmy and Rina?"

"Seriously, do you need to ask where Kimmy is?"

The two laughed, before Sasha responded, "Rina is here." With that she threw a pillow off screen.

"Hey!" Rina shouted in the background. "Don't throw a pillow at a sleeping person!"

"How can you be sleeping when I am here?" Jacqueline asked.

"Jackie!" Rina called coming up to sit next to Sasha. "Girl, so much is going down over here."

"What do you mean?"

"Well ever since you left, it's like there is an imbalance. School is getting bad." Rina responded.

"You guys are alright though, right?" Jacqueline asked anxiously.

Sasha and Rina exchanged a glance. "Well..."

"Well, what?"

"Well.." Sasha started. "Ever since you left, Kimmy has been acting in your place. It's like she is trying to be the new you."

"Chya! But no one can be you. That's the sad part," Rina added.

"Well... you don't worry about it. Kimmy won't do it for long. You know her."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sasha smiled. "So what happened to you today girl? Make any not so loserish friends?"

Jacqueline laughed at Sasha's comment. "No, not really." With that her gaze dropped. It always did when she was lying.

"Uh-uh! I know you better than that girl!" Rina exclaimed. "What happened? Spill!"

"Everyone here is super weird. They're all uptight and follow around this one girl named Deliah like she is a god."

"Oh come on. You know that's basically what you were like back here." Rina replied.

"It's worse here."

"Well you just put them in their places. Come on, you Jacqueline! You got it."

"Yeah, thanks Rina." Jacqueline let a smile cross her lips.

"Alright, what else. I know that ain't all of it." Rina demanded.

Jacqueline rolled her eyes playfully. Rina knew her way too well. "I met a guy."

"What did you do!" Sasha exclaimed. "Is this going to interfere with Jason?"

"No of course not! You guys know that I love Jason. Nothing will come between us." Jacqueline defended.

"Well... then what is it?" Sasha pressed.

"He was being nice to me, but is like nothing I have ever seen before. His hair is as dark as the night sky and his eyes are a deep water blue."

"Girl, I think you better watch yourself. They way you just talked about him, did not sound good." Rina warned.

"It doesn't matter. I would never like him. His twin sister is Deliah."

"Oh, the queen bitch?" Rina asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, then what is the problem? Likelihood is this Deliah girl won't let you near her brother anyway." Sasha assured her.

"You're right. Thanks. You guys are the best."

"Yeah, we know!" Rina responded with a giggle.

"Haha! Oh I almost forgot to tell you. I got a car."

"Woah what!"

"Yeah, green mustang." Jacqueline said with a beaming smile.

"Nice! So, it's big enough up there that you need a car to get to places?" Sasha inquired.

"Yeah. It's like ten miles to school. Apparently that's a long way up here. Haha!"

"Wow, people are so lazy!" Rina complained with a roll of her eyes. "Ya know, if they just walked or ran every day. They'd get used to it."

"We know Rina," Sasha replied with a roll of her eyes. "You _always _say that."

"No I don't!" Rina snapped back jokingly, before all three began to laugh.

The door closed downstairs. "Hey, looks like my dad is home. Gotta go! Love you!"

"Love you too!" Sasha and Rina replied in unison before the chat disappeared.

"Have you done your homework yet?" Jacqueline's father asked as he made his way up the stairs.

"Don't have any yet dad," she responded in annoyance.

"You better not be lying to me."

"Whatever," Jacqueline replied as she got up from her desk and walked into the hallway. "I'm leaving."

"Where are you going?"

"Out." With that Jacqueline slammed the door and headed out behind the house into the forest. She needed some space. Everything here just reminded her of how far away she was form home. It was all so different.

Entering the forest, it reminded her of home. It was like the forest where they had all their parties at. It was comforting. She could almost hear the music playing off in the distance. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath. The forest was so calming, so familiar.

Next thing her phone rang. It was her father. She hadn't realized it, but she had stood there for almost an hour and it was well past dinner. Heading in, she skipped dinner and went straight upstairs to bed.


End file.
